Acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC) is an extremely contagious and disabling eye infection of humans that has occurred in epidemic proportions in Asia and Europe and has the potential of importation into the United States. The disease is primarily localized to the epithelial layer of the cornea and the conjunctiva and has a short incubation period. It is apparently caused by several enterovirus strains of the picornavirus group. The objectives of the proposed studies are to quantitate interferon sensitivity and induction in human cell cultures employing the virus strains that cause AHC and to develop an animal model infection for studying: (1) the pathogenesis of this disease, and (2) optimal conditions for treatment and/or prophylaxis with interferon, interferon inducers, antibody, or local application of heat. In addition, the magnitude of appearance and time course of interferon, antibody, and virus production during natural human and animal model infections will be determined and related to development of eye disease. Interferon, the effects of interferon inducers, and virus will be assayed or determined in human cell cultures. The sensitivity of enterovirus 70 strains to interferon will be determined in human cell cultures and compared to interferon sensitive sindbis and vesicular stomatitis virus. An attempt to develop an animal model system will be made by serial passage of high titered virus pools of several enterovirus strains in the eyes of monkeys, rabbits, mice and hampsters. Gross pathologic changes of the eyes following virus infection will be monitored by an optholomologist using slit lamp examination. Evaluation of treatment protocols will be made by virus assay of tears and slit lamp examination.